The Roof Inspection

Roof Function

The main function of your roof is to protect your home from rain, snow, wind and also to provide some visual appeal.

Roof Material

The Roof Inspection

The most common type of roofing material used on new homes in Ontario is asphalt shingles. Today asphalt shingles are reinforced with fibreglass mat or an organic material such as paper, wood fibre and range in durability with life typical expectancies of 12 to 25 years.

Improvements to the asphalt shingle have been made, resulting in a more resilient product know as laminated shingles. Laminate shingles are also known as dimensional or architectural shingles.

Laminate shingles are also made of asphalt but differ from the three tab shingle in design. They were designed to add character and depth to the roof. They are made of multiple staggered layers of material and typically last 30 to 50 years.

Inspection Process

If we can we will try to inspect your roof by walking on it, unfortunately the roof pitched is usually very steep on new homes. In this case we will inspect your roof with binoculars or from roof edge with our ladder. We examine the roof covering, flashings and skylights and note any defects.

Common Roof Problems

Some of the most common problems we find while inspecting roofs are:

Missing shingles
Exposed roofing nails
Poor flashing details

Roofing defects are generally covered under one or more of the following:

One Year- Work and Materials
One year- Building Code Violations
Two year – Building Envelope Water Penetration
Two year – Ontario Building Code Health and Safety Violations
Seven year – Major Structural Defects

Roof Drainage

The purpose of the eavetrough and downspouts is to collect water runoff from the roof and discharge safely away from the house. Ideally the water should discharge at least six feet from your home. However this is not always possible in a new subdivision. Most builders will add a splash block at the end of the downspout and direct the water into a swale between neighbouring houses.

Eavetrough And Downspout Materials

Aluminum is the most common material used for eavetrough and downspouts in new homes in Ontario. It has baked on enamel, which means it is low maintenance and does not have to be painted. Another advantage is that is can be formed and cut on sight, this reduces the number of joints and potential leakage areas. With little maintenance aluminum eavetroughs will last 20 to 30 years.

Inspection Process

We exam all eavetroughs and downspout to make sure they are properly secure to your house and there are no leaks. Eavetroughs should have proper slope to downspouts allow water to drain and downspout should discharge the water away from the foundation walls.

Common Roof Drainage Problems